Columnist Steve Duin wrote a round-up of the Q-Gathering in today's Oregonian; this quote caught my eye:  

"I'm hearing a view of Christianity outside my church tradition," said Karen Mulder of Chicago. "I'm struggling with the question of grace. In my church, it's about following the rules. This has brought me to a place of caring about people, not arguing about what's right." 

That about sums it up for me.

That's what I keep hearing from certain charismatic evangelical circles with the word "city" incorporated somewhere in the name of their church that host an annual generation conference.  In fact a quick search of "generation conference promo” on YouTube will bring up dozens of videos showing clips of youth pastors and teachers affiliated with these churches preaching all sorts of hype about how their conference will "change young people for God," or "ignite the hearts of people to see Jesus invade our culture," or "bring a radical impact to society."  These are the claims year after year after year, yet I don't see any of it.  In fact I don't see this generation of young people, say 13 to 23, acting any different today then any generation did 10, 15, or even 20 years ago.  Many people would even say kids have gotten worse over the generations, not better.  So why do these people continually tout their church/conference/gathering/message/etc. as the one that will "win this generation for God?"  I wish I had the answer; maybe then there would be no need for a blog like this.

Deep down I really am concerned about the perils of society, and I wish these gatherings would do more.  But right now, I just don’t think they are.  I mean these churches have so much money, with so many resources and so many volunteers, why in the hell can't they actually make a difference?  Now inevitably someone will say "Generation (fill in the blank) Conference" changed my life.  And as someone who participated in a few of these things I totally get it.  In fact I'm not even saying they are all bad.  What I am saying is that they could be so much better!  I mean if you really look at it, a majority of these conferences recycle the same 20 speakers, with the same 20 messages and the same 20 worship songs, reaching the same 20 types of people.  Can't you see what's wrong with that?

So for those who absolutely swear by these events, there's nothing anyone of us can really say or do that will cause you to think outside the box.  But for the rest of you out there, ask yourself WHERE IS THE CHANGE?  Not that I think the entire city of Portland, or Seattle, or San Diego, or Atlanta (or anywhere else these conferences are spreading) should become Christian Capital USA, but it should be safe to say that if these conferences really were "igniting a generation for God" or causing a "global movement" (as one promo claimed), there would be SOME sign of spiritual uprising, correct?  Am I wrong for thinking this?  I just want these churches and the people who run them to WAKE UP!  Stop positioning yourselves for fame and fortune.  Stop trying to be the most sought after conference speaker.  Stop using impressionable youth as a way to create name recognition.  And please for the love of God, stop trying to be so cool and hip and loved.  DO start representing Jesus the way He called you to, with truth, grace and most of all, humility.

So this is a call to anyone and everyone who participates in these giant gatherings to be more then just sheep lapping up everything put before you and following the ways of every other church that holds these things.  Ask questions, explore truths, seek answers and do not let your mind be lost in the “oo and ah” of the moment.  Because if you do, 10, 20, maybe even 30 years later, you will find yourself lost in a world of spiritual confusion that will take a long time to recover from.

Rolling Stone has an article on two Christian Conferences called Battle Cry and Acquire the Fire. These are events for Evangelical Teenagers who want to get fired-up and violent for Christ.

They're about to accept "the mark of a warrior," explains Ron Luce, commander in chief of BattleCry, the most furious youth crusade since young sinners in the hands of an angry God flogged themselves with shame in eighteenth-century New England.

The rhetoric of these conferences is a little different than most in that they tend to glorify violence. But after reading the article, I was like, this is no different than any of the youth conferences I attended as a teen in the 90's.

At Acquire the Fire, Luce tells the kids to make lists of secular pleasures they'll sacrifice for the cause. Hanneh starts with Bow Wow and Usher, bites her pen, and then decides to go big: "Music," she writes, then "Friends" — the nonfundamentalist ones — and "Party." This, she explains, is a polite way of saying "sex." Not that she's had any, or knows anyone her age who has, but she's learned from Luce that "the culture" wants to force it upon her at a young age. "The world," he tells her, is a forty-five-year-old pervert posing as another tween online.

I realize that documenting fundamentalist Christians is the new black in journalism. But I wish the journalists would focus less on the fundamentalism and more on the greed. Delve into how much it costs to go to these conferences, and where the money goes. I'm betting a lot of it goes to Ron Luce's pocket.

Here is a great article in the Portland Mercury that discusses a Portland Evangelical conference called Restore America.  The conference is centered around motivating Christians to become more involved in Government.

Restore America was founded in 1999 by David Crowe, with the sole intention of getting evangelical Christians to become more involved in civic affairs—like voting. Much like the American evangelical movement as a whole, the organization has relied on two arguments: that America's Founding Fathers meant for the country to be officially Christian, and that modern Christianity is "under attack!"

This second point is repeated throughout the entire conference, with a host of assailants getting the credit for doing the devil's work—activist judges, secular humanists, Hollywood, homosexuals, and Muslims. This paranoia comes despite the fact that evangelicals were—until last November—in control of every branch of government, and reportedly make up the largest voting block in the country. But when you believe in a religion that places high value on martyrdom, you'll start seeing persecution lurking around every corner. I asked Crowe about this, and why evangelicals think that anyone who disagrees with them politically is attacking their religion.

"Isn't it possible that people can disagree with you without it being a persecution of Christians?" I asked.

"Oh, no. Christianity is definitely under attack," Crowe responded.

Yeah, Christianity is under attack by Christians who believe more in personal wealth and power than in helping the poor.

I did some blog searching and found a few comments about this year's Generation Unleashed Conference. I'm rather conflicted about "youth conferences" in general, mostly, because I am yet to see one that isn't based solely on hype. I don't want to say that they are all bad, but really…is hyping God good for our youth?

At first glance I would say, look at all these kids excited about worshiping God, look at how ready they are to "take the nation", "start a revival", and "live for Jesus"…how can there be anything wrong with that?

I then have to remember my personal experience. I have been to many conferences where I sang, danced, cried, and promised that "I would never be the same again"…but there is one problem: We are the same. People don't change…at least not in a short 3 day conference time period. "Living a life to honor God" takes a bit of time and is not solved by crying out of desperation at the alter once a year. It's more of a life journey.

Ok, so am I really saying that brining 9,000 kids to Portland, Oregon every year to get pumped up about God is wrong …it sounds crazy to say that…right?

Let's look at what one blogger had to say about GU:

HOLY GATES OT HEAVEN!!!
Gen Unleashed is one of the most LIFE CHANGING experiences that like you'll ever have!!!
I dont even know if u can understand the AMAZINGNESS of it..until u go…!
But, its so cool, because like theres literally, THOUSANDS of teenagers there for the same reason…Jesus….& they like ALL just TOTALLY full-on worship God!
He like totally moves people right & left!  (te he…not literally..lol)
n e ways, THE PRESENCE OF GOD IS THE MOST  AMAZING FEELING THAT U CAN EVER HAVE!!!
***& u totally feel Him @ GU..fer sher!*** 
~ I cant even wait till next year~

Once you get past the fact that texting is ruining the English language, you see that she is very excited about God…how can that be bad?

Let's read another:

i had the most amazing weekend ever! my life has truly CHANGED. i have figured out everything that i questioned. everything has been answered for me. i have never cried so much i have never had so much fun nor been so happy. it was amazing. it was incredible seeing people do one hundred percent turn arounds in seconds. i love the new me. i love who i am and who i have become. i do not want the old me anymore. and its time to cut the people out of my life who are only care about themselfs. i want frineds who are going to be there whenEVER i need them. if i need someone to talk to or a sholder to cry on even if it is two thirty in the morning. they will be there. i want people that will infuluence me in a positive way and not bring me down or minipulate me and get me to do negative ways. if you do not like this then i am sorry…no im not sorry. this is me! love me for me NOT for who you want me to be! have a good night :]]

So I went to Generation Unleashed this year…and basically….God totally changed my life! I cannot begin to describe the happiness that I am feeling! I have been completly transformed into a new women of God. AND I am proud of it!! seriously…………..wow……lol           

God "totally changed her life"…that sound's pretty good. Let's read one more:

GEN UNLEASHED WAS INSANLY AMAZING! AND THE WORSHIP WAS INCREDIBLE!

Again, i was amazed by God's grace this year at Gen Unleashed. Im so glad that i went, because part of me didn't want to.  It changed me once again, and i realized how bad ive screwed up this last year.  And i think that may be one of the reasons i didn't want to go is cuz of all that guilt.  But you know in the end, i realized that no matter how much or how bad i screw up, God will be there no matter wut. 

Im ready  to change for good this time i want to live for God and not for myself or anyone else.. just for him. It seems that for so long ive been hiding a lot of things about my life… and sometimes even my faith (or at least not showing it to its full extent) but im done with that…. im ready to do this right this time… im ready to stand up and live for my God!

There it is. There is the problem. You see, this chick is going through the same experience that I went through and that every high school kid I knew went through: It's called Reality. Life. It's what happens during the 51 weeks between conferences. Unfortunately we can't spend 2 hours everyday having a great band lead us in "worship" getting us pumped to go "cry at the alter" (side note: from a simple "Christian music" standpoint, most of the songs I've heard from GU's God's Not Dead cd are great. I don't know that it really qualifies as "worship", but they put out a good album). You see, her desire is "to live for God and not for [her]self or anyone else.. just for him", but it didn't work at last years show and sadly, it won't work now.

When the buzz wears off in a couple of weeks she is going to be in the same place as she was last year: screwing up and feeling guilty. (I'm not trying to be harsh or to pick on her…I don't know who she is…I'm speaking from my own personal experience here). She says this year's conference "changed [her] once again", but if it doesn't last, is it really change?

To sum up my thoughts, Youth conferences are fun, and they inspire for a short time but in the end they leave you cold. Your crash often takes you farther away from God then where you were before you got your high. I say that because I lived that.

Where is the "fruit" from Generation Unleashed? Where are all the life changing, revival makers now? When I was 16, 17, 18, and 19 years old I attended those same conferences with thousands of other youth, so why haven't we changed the world by now?  Because when the conference is over… the hype wears off.

And that is my sad opinion.

I have never had so many people send me the same item at the same time. Yesterday, City Bible emailed an invitation to their Thrive Conference. And though I am not on their list, the invite manged to make its way to my inbox within seconds.

I tried to post the whole invite, but could not fit it all on the page and make it readable. So I'm just going to link to their Conference Website. You can judge for yourself whether this conference is about Jesus or about money.

A long time member of City Bible emailed me her take:

Just had this in my inbox and had to share it.  The part that really gets me is the preferred seating for the Thrive Conference.  OK, so I understand the parking thing.  There's limited space on the butte and this is their way to control it.  But preferred seating???  Oh please. 

I don't know if you've ever been to one of these things, but this is what happens:  hours before the auditorium doors open, there are the faithful who "camp" right in front of the doors. More and more people come until the foyer is packed.  Then the doors open and it's a melee down to the front to get the "good" seats.  Maybe this is CBC's way of confining that a bit, I don't know.  But isn't there something in James about who we give the best seats to?  Hmmmm.  Maybe it has something to do with $$$?  Nah.

I'm shocked! Shocked. I tell you.